Coimbatore-based Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham University’s Amrita School of Biotechnology has entered into a dual degree partnership with the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of Arizona, US. 

According to Dr Bipin Nair, Professor, Amrita School of Biotechnology and Dean, Faculty of Science, the strategic merger will provide aspiring students with an opportunity to tap into the expertise of the renowned and internationally recognised biomedical sciences faculty at the University of Arizona. At the same time, students will be able to harness the rich experience of the Master's programmes in biotechnology, Microbiology and Bioinformatics at the Amrita School of Biotechnology. 

Besides being given the unique opportunity to receive two degrees - M.Sc. Biotechnology, Microbiology or Bioinformatics from Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham and MS Cellular and Molecular Medicine, the students enrolling for this dual degree programme would benefit tremendously from this innovative approach of flexible one of its kind modular courses offered by the cellular and molecular medicine department at the University of Arizona as well as to research within the University of Arizona laboratories.

Carol C Gregorio, Head of the Department, Cellular and Molecular Medicine and Assistant Vice Provost of Global Health Sciences, University of Arizona, said, "We are honoured to have entered this dual degree partnership with Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham University—one of the top research institutions in India. This opportunity allows us to push the boundaries in our university by tapping the expertise of our renowned and internationally recognised faculty. This exciting opportunity is part of our larger mission to expand access to Arizona Health Sciences education within the US and around the world."

Dr Maneesha Ramesh, Dean, International Programs, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham added that the dual degree arrangement with the University of Arizona is a strategically important step to ensure that our students receive the best possible training as a stepping stone to a bright future.